Two people arrested for murder hours after Pat Stay was killed, trial hears

A Halifax police officer who was in the nightclub where Pat Stay was fatally stabbed testified in court on Wednesday.

A Halifax police officer testified he was at the nightclub where Pat Stay was fatally stabbed because he was with a provincial liquor inspector following up on complaints that the establishment was going over capacity.

Const. Justin McGrath, a liquor enforcement officer with Halifax Regional Police in 2022, testified that he, another police officer and a liquor inspector entered the Yacht Club Social at about 12:33 a.m. on Sept. 4, 2022 to do a headcount.

Looking at video in court, McGrath appeared to be near the area where Stay was stabbed only about a minute beforehand.

Moments later, he testified he was at the front doorway to the venue when he noticed “a flood of people started rushing out between us.”

“My immediate thought was that something bad happened,” he said.

He testified he recognized Pat Stay running out of the club when his colleague said, “Justin, he’s covered in blood.”

McGrath told the jury Stay’s shirt was “covered in blood,” and that he was out in the road before making it to the sidewalk, where he went down.

He said upon re-entering the club, he “learned further information that there was a suspect in an orange hoodie.”

Two arrested for murder

Const. Mark Maxwell, of the Halifax Regional Police, was patrolling in the Spryfield area with a partner at about 12:33 a.m. when they heard an active call in the city’s downtown, where it was believed some had been stabbed.

He told the jury they were tasked with setting up a checkpoint on Quinpool Road to check outbound vehicles for sobriety and to locate the suspect.

Maxwell testified he was familiar with the name and mugshot of the suspect they were looking for.

At around 1:02 a.m., he said he and another officer arrested the person they believed to be the suspect and a passenger in the older model Ford convertible for assault with a weapon.

Const. Jordan Chestney, who was with Maxwell, told the trial the two men – one of whom had what was believed to be blood on his hoodie – were taken to Halifax Regional Police headquarters for interviews.

He testified the men were to be rearrested for murder, and to be read their rights and caution.

It’s not clear what happened to those allegations, as no further details have been shared in court to this point.

‘His face was going white’

Brennan Hartling, a liquor inspector with Nova Scotia Alcohol and Gaming at the time, told the jury the Yacht Club Social’s capacity – including staff – was 195 people and he had counted 188 people during their time in the venue.

He testified that a colleague of his had filed a written warning for the Yacht Club Social the weekend before due to capacity issues, with the lineup flowing onto Lower Water Street.

He told the trial he witnessed Stay exit the bar in that frantic moment.

“His face was going white,” Hartling said. “I noticed blood on his shirt.”

Hartling told jurors Stay was struggling to maintain balance, going out onto the street, before ultimately collapsing on the sidewalk.

Stay was trying to say something, Hartling testified, but appeared unable to get the air to do so.

Hotel check-in, bloodied table

The Crown called three other witnesses on Wednesday, including two staff at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel, and a patron at the Yacht Club that night.

The patron said he and his partner at the time went to the venue for a couple of drinks, but ended up getting covered in blood, along with their table as two men ran by them.

The last two witnesses of the day were the hotel staff; one whom said she checked Adam Drake into the Marriott on the afternoon of Sept. 2, and the other who handed over security footage to police.

He’s expected to continue on the witness stand on Thursday.

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